The Gown, the Suit and the Ball
by maddyjade
Summary: Elsa's Coronation Ball 2.0 is approaching quickly and everyone seems to be having a problem with the dress code.
1. The Gown

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue etc belong to the Disney Company!

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**The Gown**

Anna burst into Elsa's room without the slightest bit of warning, causing Elsa to scream in surprise and slip on the hem of her dress, sending her backwards and on to the bed.

Arendelle's young princess was too focused on her mission to notice, as per usual, as she skidded across the floorboards and dived headfirst into Elsa's closet.

"Anna, you really shouldn't barge in like that," Anna heard her sister say from outside. "I know we have an open door policy and everything but -"

"I'm sorry!" Anna was searching through the racks of dresses like a wild animal, sending all possible options over her shoulder and on to the floor behind her. "This is an _emergency_, Elsa! A real actual emergency!"

No way, too much lace! And this one shows way too much skin. And this one doesn't show _enough _skin. Oh, that's a nice colour, let's try on that one. Anna jumped out of her stupor when she heard Elsa tap her knuckle against the closet doorframe. She looked up to find her sister looking less than impressed.

"What kind of emergency requires you to make a mess out of my wardrobe?"

Right, that was probably an important detail Elsa needed to know.

"Well, you know how your whole Coronation Ball two-point-oh is tonight - "

"Yes." Coronation Ball two-point-oh because the first one didn't exactly go to plan.

"And we had to get new dresses because heaven forbid we wear our old ones, according to Gerda -"

"Yes."

"And how I had to try it on this morning just to check if it still fit then had to race down to the kitchen to check on your cake -"

"Yes - wait. What?"

"Long story short, chocolate icing is my favourite thing except when it's splattered over the front of my newly tailored gown. Gerda cried when she saw me."

"Oh, Anna..." Elsa shook her head, but she wasn't surprised. This wasn't the worst thing she had done to a gown. She once convinced herself that going down to the stables had been a grand priority an hour before the sisters were to hold a banquet for the Royal Society of the Eastern Isles. Anna learnt her lesson after tripping and falling face first into a wheelbarrow of unmentionables. "What have I told you about aprons?"

"Anyway," Anna pressed on, gathering the many dresses she had pulled from the racks into her arms. She squeezed past Elsa and dumped them all onto her sisters bed. "I've already looked through my closet and everything's too green."

"You _like_ green." Elsa raised her eyebrows, eyeing her sister. "In fact, you're wearing green right now."

Anna looked down at her skirts, and indeed, they were green. A light green with an even lighter floral print, matched with a dark green bodice with green trim. She was a bit green-crazy, she would admit. "I see your point, but I wore green to the last one! And I wear green everywhere. This is a time of new beginnings, Elsa! A new reign, a total revamp of Arendelle, which means I gotta revamp my style, you know?"

Elsa's chuckled to herself. Of course Anna saw the whole Great Thaw as a sign that she couldn't allow herself to wear green anymore, but Elsa wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a bit of fun with her sister. They never really had the chance to play dress up.

"Well," Elsa started, walking over to her sister and sorting through the variety of dresses before her, "you've certainly pulled a lot of pink."

"I didn't even know you had any pink, I've never seen you in pink ever."

"Oh c'mon Anna, like you wear half the stuff that Gerda puts in your wardrobe."

"True, true. That lady has awful taste."

"You should see the hideous thing she put in there a few months back." A giggle escaped Elsa. It wasn't a common occurrence, so Anna jumped right on board.

"Show me show me show me!" She squealed, jumping on the bed.

Elsa laughed at her sisters exuberance before whisking Anna's pink dresses up on her way to the wardrobe, ignoring her sister's pout. "Sorry, but this is so not your colour."

Anna waited on the bed, laying her three remaining dress choices out in front of her. The first was a deep burgundy colour, which Anna thought would go nicely with her paler complexion, but the jewels that accentuated the bust seemed a bit... out there. Her mother had always told her that red was a colour reserved for older women, or those daring enough to wear it anyway. Anna wasn't anywhere near daring enough.

"Not that one." Anna picked up the dress and placed it behind her, and she was just about to assess the two others when Elsa emerged from the wardrobe looking absolutely ridiculous.

"Oh my god!" Anna wailed, laughing hysterically as she fell back on to the bed. "_What is that_?"

Elsa stood in the middle of her room looking nothing less than a banana with arms. Anna didn't even know that sort of yellow colour existed. Brown floral detailing - yes, brown - framed the waist and if it wasn't enough, brown trim was included as well.

"Yourhips look so big you look like you're smuggling prisoners." Anna choked between her laughs.

Just when Anna thought it couldn't get any better, Elsa turned around to show how the dress made her butt look like a foreign country . "_Look at this bustle_!"

The girls were laughing so hard they were clutching their sides and wiping their tears from their cheeks. Elsa ran into her wardrobe to take it off in fear that she would turn yellow herself.

"Gerda's apparent blindness aside," Anna called into the wardrobe, "we do have to find me a dress in the next three hours."

The next dress laid out before her was a burnt orange colour, and while the lacy bodice and lightweight, twirl-y skirt sparked every one of her girly senses, orange hair and orange clothes was too match-and-match for her taste. The other dress was a sky blue colour that was sparkly all through the skirt of the dress. It was probably her favourite. But that kind of blue washed her out completely.

Royal problems.

Elsa emerged from the wardrobe looking very much like herself and not like a banana, which Anna was glad to see. "So which one?" Elsa asked, sitting down on the bed with her.

"They're all beautiful but it's just not right." Anna mumbled, flopping back on the bed dramatically. "I know it's just a dress but we don't have Coronation Ball's every year!" She looked over to her sister to see if she was following, and when Elsa patted Anna's knee understandingly, she knew she was.

"It's got to be special," Elsa smiled knowingly, hopping off the bed and once more trekking back into the closet. "I've got just the thing for you, Anna."

Anna was having the time of her life. For the first time in forever she finally felt like everything was how it's supposed to be. Elsa and her were spending time together, but not just that, they were joking and laughing and sharing clothes and teasing and it felt everything like how sisters should be.

It had only been a month since the storm and things had been very awkward at first. Very polite conversation, please's and thank you's, neither party really knowing where to start. They had broken the ice when Elsa realised the extent of all the trouble Anna was able to find herself in.

"C'mon Elsa!" Anna squealed, tugging at her sister's arm as she brought her towards the Great Hall, "I've been dying to show you this forever."

The hall was empty, and Elsa was confused.

"So uh," Elsa coughed, "what's happening?"

"Oh, oh!" Anna gushed, jumping out of her day dreams. " Shoes off, now. Right now."

"What? Why - "

"Just do it!" Anna groaned, lifting up her skirts as she kicked her shoes off, ignoring the thud they made against the wall as well as the scuff mark they made.

Elsa, worried for her well being, did as she was told.

"So you'll need a running start." Anna said, checking to see if she understood. Elsa didn't.

"A running start for what?"

Anna scoffed and grabbed her sisters hand. "RUN!"

Anna took off sprinting and forced her sister to keep up with her, tugging on her hand almost painfully.

"You ready?"

"I'm not sure - "

"SLIDE!"

Elsa, following Anna's lead, stopped running and jumped into a smooth glide across the polished floorboards. It was just like ice-skating! Except socks, and floorboards, and no ice at all. It was nice.

Anna was glad to see her sister was having just as much fun slipping and sliding through the hall, but as they neared the end of it, the girls faced a problem. That problem being a wall.

"How do we stop?" Elsa gasped, threatening to fall over.

"Oh, it's simple," Anna laughed, tightening the grip on her sisters hand, "I usually just crash!"

The girls extravagantly collided with the wall and collapsed with as much grace as they could muster with their skirts bunched up around their heads, laughter echoing through the empty hall.

From there on out they were fine, and it was like they'd been like this for years. Sure, they would butt heads every once in a while, but that was normal, and Anna was over the moon about a bit of normalcy in her life.

"Anna!" Elsa called from the wardrobe. "I think you'd like it better if you tried it on first."

The princess skipped over to the Elsa who handed over a deep navy gown, leaving her to change. It was easy enough to pull on, and Anna walked out into the main room to inspect the dress in Elsa's mirror.

It was perfect.

The deep navy colour was nothing like she'd ever dream of wearing - too bold, too dark - but it made her skin glow. Leading into the colder months of Autumn, Elsa had chosen a long sleeved off the shoulder dress. While the dress itself was such a complete navy, the sleeves were sheer. Normally Anna would never dare expose so much of her décolletage, let alone her shoulders, but the dress was far too elegant to pass up. Delicate jewels snaked and swirled their way down her sleeves, circling around her wrists. The jewels were repeated through the bodice, emphasising her natural curves and fading through her waist, not daring to overpower the soft flare of skirt that fell lightly over her hips and brushed against the floor.

A picture of sophisticated grace, for once.

"Oh, Elsa." Anna breathed, folding her hands over her heart. "It's absolutely gorgeous. Where did get this?"

Elsa stepped forward to look in the mirror with Anna, linking arms with her fluidly. "It was Mama's when she was your age. I found it fitting."

A soft cry escaped from Anna as she flung her arms behind Elsa's neck, burying her face deep within her shoulder. Elsa hugged back just as hard.

Anna had never felt this comfortable and warm in anyone else's arms since her parents had passed. It was different to be hugged by Kristoff or Olaf or Gerda or Kai. Maybe it was because Elsa had been gone for so long and Anna was scared to let her go. Or maybe it was because Elsa _did_ remind her so much of their mother. They had their own separate relationships with their parents, and from the small amount Elsa had told her about the years in locked in her room, Elsa had to keep her distance out of fear that she would strike them with her powers just as she did Anna.

For Elsa to share one of the only unique and personal tokens she had of their mother was one of the most kind and loving things anyone had ever done for her. She finally had her sister back. And Anna was excited to remember that it was only just the beginning.

"Thank you so much, Elsie."

"You're welcome, Annie."

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**A/N:** Ah, another beautiful fluff series. Just warms your heart. First time ever divulging into the mysterious Anna Elsa sister bond, kind frightening cos I had no idea where to start, but I knew I had to at least try.

Part one of three, stay tuned for next chapter shortly, where Kristoff is having his issues with his fancy clothing.

Leave me your thoughts, love it when you do :)


	2. The Suit

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue, etc belong to the Disney Company!

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**The Suit**

Kristoff didn't understand why after twenty one years of not giving a reindeer's behind about clothes he had to start now. He had torn his way through a lot of tunics in his time but it was nothing a trip to the flea market couldn't fix - trade in some ice for a new pair of pants, not a problem and he'd be on his way.

Now he stood in front of the mirror that leaned against the wall of his unnecessarily large room Anna had shoved him into a month ago. The tailor must have been playing a mean trick on him because there was no way this never ending pile of blue and black clothing was supposed to look like a suit in the end. He wasn't that good with puzzles.

Kristoff wasn't a royal. Which is why he was so confused about attending a royal function. Wasn't there some kind of rule about that sort of thing? Something about protecting the noble status? Anna had laughed right in his face when he told her that, then proceeded to grab his arm quite viciously and said in her scariest voice 'If you don't come with me I will fill your sleigh with everything you love and ride it off a cliff for the second time'.

She was a true master of persuasion, which is why Kristoff was now looking at a strip of dark blue silk with no idea what to do with it. Did it go in a pocket? Around his neck? Maybe if he tied it tight enough he'd pass out and be able to skip this thing, because the idea of dancing about with a bunch of royal idiots really didn't fill him with a whole lot of enthusiasm.

Don't get him wrong, Anna and Elsa were an exception to his opinions but they were one of the few that didn't use their bloodline as an excuse to act like a snob. Maybe he was being a bit bias, but his experiences so far had not been friendly. He couldn't count the number of times his sleigh had been broken because some royal in horse-drawn carriage and his army of escorts demanded a one-hundred metre path on their way to the kingdom.

He was dreading the ball, but he would admit that the look on Anna's face when he told her he would go was worth it. Whatever he could do to put a smile on her face was worth it, really. It had taken him a month to become a total sucker for her, which was good, because Sven had bets on two weeks.

Was he supposed to look ridiculous in this suit? Because it seemed that was the kind of look his tailor was going for. The pants and boots were easy enough to put on, albeit a bit tight. Was he supposed to be this... on show? Was this a royal custom he didn't know about? At least the dark blue of his pants provided a little decency. Any tighter and he would be wearing pantyhose, and that was where he would draw the line. Then draw over it again. And one final time, just for good measure.

Buttoning up the white dress shirt was easy enough, but after that he got stuck. Kristoff had turned into a five year old who didn't know how to dress himself. He rolled his eyes and undid his top button, feeling awfully restricted. He didn't think he could move without ripping something. Royal clothes didn't really come in his size, but the tailor had tried his best.

Kristoff was just about to strip off and try again when a rapid knock passed through his door, and he already knew it was Anna before she came bursting through the door not a second later. There was nothing hesitant about that girl, she could bolt her way through a brick wall.

He had gave her a double take because for once, he hadn't been sure it was his girlfriend at all. The beautiful woman clad in navy looked so different, so elegant, so sophisticated. Wisps of hair curled around her face to gather at the nape of her neck, brushing against the bare skin of her glowing shoulders, beautiful small and dainty figure accentuated by a stunning dress that flowed in a breeze that wasn't there. Her eyes were dark and full of mischief, and it was only when she smiled brightly that he realised it was Anna. His Anna.

He wasn't sure if his pants were cutting off the blood circulation to his legs or if it was just him going weak-kneed at the sight of her.

When he noticed she was looking at him the same way he was looking at her, his outfit seemed a fit a little better, and he stood up a little taller. He had an obnoxious urge to flex but he would probably rip his shirt at the seams (not being pretentious, facts are facts people).

"Anna..." He breathed, eyes fixed on her, mouth slightly agape. He quickly composed himself, clearing his throat and moving his hand to rest on the back of his neck, but bringing it down when he felt his shirt resisting. "You look amazing." He was a blushing fool.

"Those are tight pants." Anna giggled. He could see her eyes desperately trying to look everywhere else, and she was failing miserably.

No more blushing fool, he was as red as a tomato.

"But very handsome nonetheless." Anna made her way over to him, eyeing the pile of clothes gathered on the floor. "Even though you're a tad underdressed. Hey, we match!" She excited pointed between the blue of his pants and her dress - almost identical.

"You totally planned that." Kristoff knew Anna, he wouldn't buy that for a second.

"Nuh uh." Her hands were on her hips. She meant business. "I had my own wardrobe malfunctions today, thank you very much."

Kristoff scoffed. "Doesn't look like it." He gestured to the length of her, making a point of how good she made that dress look. He would admit he only did it so he could look her up and down again.

"It's actually Elsa's! Well, it was Mama's, but she gave it to Elsa and Elsa's letting me wear it because I got chocolate all over my other one."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Coming from someone who managed to button up their shirt wrong."

Kristoff looked down. That made his heart droop a little, he'd been so sure he'd gotten the shirt right. He had missed two buttons completely and it was severely disjointed. "I thought it was meant to look like that."

Before he could do anything Anna's hands flew up to his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt impressively fast. She'd already gotten three undone by the time Kristoff jerked back and held her at arm's length.

"Woah, woah! What do you think you're doing?"

Anna rolled her eyes, swatting away his hands from her shoulders. "Seducing you, what do you think?" She said flatly, moving forward to unbutton the rest of his shirt. "You seem to be struggling with the concept of royal clothing, so I'll help you out. Don't thank me or anything, it's fine."

As subtle as Anna was trying to be, he could still see her eyes dragging up and down his exposed chest. She looked up at him and quickly averted her gaze when she saw that he'd caught her.

"Just looking for an excuse to undress me, aren't you?"

Anna buttoned up his shirt properly, making an effort to did her nails into him as she did so.

"I could just leave you to dress yourself and let you risk showing up to your first ball looking like a crazy person." Anna looked at him like she was so innocent but he knew that wasn't an empty threat. So he better watch his tongue.

"I'm going to be a crazy person anyway. I have no clue what I'm getting myself into here, Anna." Kristoff said honestly, looking at his reflection in the mirror. It was an out of body experience. These clothes were probably worth more than his entire life savings, and he was supposed to go on about it like it was no big deal? It was weird and made him uncomfortable. He wasn't the socialising type of guy. Small talk was not his thing. Anna could talk to anyone about anything and they would fall in love with her, but it wasn't so easy for him. He was nervous to be around a mob of royals when the closest thing he'd come to a noble status was 'Kristoff Bjorgman, valiant and pungent reindeer king'.

Maybe he'd introduce himself as that just to see what their reactions would be like.

"Kristoff." Anna said his name softly, grabbing his attention. She fastened the very last button and rested her hands on his chest. "I'm not going to make you act like you're royal, and I'm not going to make you walk around and introduce yourself to anyone you don't want to."

She leant down and dug through the pile, finding a black vest. She gave it to him and he pulled his arms through, and Anna moved to button it up, continuing with her speech. "Royal people are boring. None of them like to have fun, which is why I need you there to make it fun." Her smile was enough to reassure him, as she pulled the same blue silk fabric he was curious about out of the pile, fixing it around his neck and tucking it into his dress shirt. She told him it was a cravat. That's dumb.

"I promise you Kristoff," Anna said with grandeur, pulling a black tailcoat from the pile and moving behind him, "the only thing I want you to do at this ball is to dance with me and stuff your face with chocolate with me and make fun of all the snobby people with me."

Kristoff chuckled as Anna held out the coat behind him. He threaded his arms through and adjusted it around himself. Looking in the mirror, he didn't look too bad. Anna joined him in the reflection, hands clasped at her heart.

"You should wear this all the time." She seemed to be appreciating it much more than he was, and he was starting to think that was the point.

"If I move too much I'm going to rip this coat in half."

Anna scoffed and waved off his caution. "They all feel like that at first!" She swung her arms around his neck and moved until they were face to face with each other. "You'll get used to it. You're going to be attending many a ball with me from now on."

"Do you get to dress me every time?" Kristoff smiled, locking his hands around her waist, careful not to wrinkle her gown.

"Nope, this was a onetime deal." Damn, he'd be a lot more excited about balls if this was what led up to them.

"Shame." Kristoff pouted, but quickly moved in to steal a kiss from her. He could already tell she'd been into the chocolate. "But thanks Anna, really."

Anna was all smiley, and then her expression dropped into something quizzical. "We still have one more thing to do yet."

She untangled herself from his arms and made his way to his ensuite, pulling open a drawer and fishing out a green tin.

"What's that?"

"We have to sort out your hair."

"What's wrong with my hair?" He didn't mean to sound so wounded.

"It's all, like," Anna murmured, grabbing his desk chair on her way back to the mirror, "you know, moppy?"

She placed the chair in front of him and pointed for him to sit. He did, not looking impressed. "Oh stop it, you big baby." Anna unscrewed the tin, revealing a wet looking waxy substance. "I personally like your hair, but it's not Coronation Ball appropriate, you get me?" She smiled sheepishly at him in the mirror, before scooping out a glob of the stuff, rubbing it between her fingers, and smoothing his hair back.

"This is the grossest thing ever." Kristoff muttered, squirming as the slimy stuff made its way through his hair. Having Anna's fingers running over his scalp though was surprisingly soothing, however, so he would deal with it.

"That's better!" Anna dashed off to the bathroom again to wash her hands clean.

Kristoff agreed. He didn't like how sticky it felt, but it did look more fancy than having a blonde mess over his eyes and jutting out around his ears.

He was feeling a lot better about the ball now. He seemed to feel better about a lot of things when Anna was there to calm him down. There was so much he didn't know about this new life of his. No matter how hard Anna tried to convince him that being romantically involved with a princess was no different than anyone else, it was. There was expectations he had to uphold, or else he would be ridiculed. No more hiding up in the mountains, he had to be on show all the time to demonstrate that he was worthy of Anna, even if he didn't entirely feel like he was.

But just because he was nervous, no, _scared_, so mind-numbingly scared about the reality of people having to pay attention to him, didn't mean he was going to give up. Anna had given him a new perspective on life. He was still adjusting, but soon everything would fall into place.

A knock reverberated through his door and he heard the familiar voice of Kai say, "Princess Anna? Mr. Bjorman? Guests are arriving, it may be time to make your appearance."

Anna squealed, skipping over to Kristoff. "We'll be right there, Kai!"

She stood there for a good minute, adjusting his coat and cravat and taming his hair. With a proud sigh she said, "Perfect! This is going to be great. Are you ready?"

With her smiling at him like that how could he not be. He held out his arm to her in response and she took it graciously, but not before standing up on her toes to kiss him on the lips.

"Thanks for doing this with me, Kristoff."

"Anytime, feistypants. Let's not keep the people waiting."

With a determined grunt of approval Anna quickly pulled on his arm and they made their way out the door.

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**A/N: **These two are forever my favourite, there's so much fun banter to play around with, don't you reckon?

What do you thinks going to happen at the ball? Will it be smooth sailing for the trio or will mischief ensue? I don't even know yet if we're being honest

Leave me your thoughts pleaseee :)


	3. The Ball

Disclaimer: I own nothing in regards to Disney's Frozen and all the rights of the characters, dialogue etc belong to the Disney Company!

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**The Ball**

"There's a lot of people here." Kristoff mumbled, pulling at his collar. Was it hot in here or was it just him?

"Oh, stop it." Anna swatted his hand away as he threatened to ruin her good work. "You'll be fine. I just have to go get introduced and I'll be right back."

Kristoff gave her a knowing look. "You'll probably get distracted by the food table."

Anna forcefully laughed in an attempt to ignore the truth in his words. She'd been stealing glances at that cheesecake for the last ten minutes and her willpower was starting to diminish. "You're so funny! Anyway, I better go, I'll be right back!"

He groaned as she skipped off, leaning against a nearby column. He was probably wrinkling his suit, but did he care? Nope. He was hot and uncomfortable and whenever he listened in to the conversation around him it was either about politics or money. So not his department. Looking over to the throne he saw Anna and Elsa positioned off to the side, while Kai made his first steps towards the crowd.

Introductions went smoothly, with Elsa looking more friendly and less regal than she normally did. The past month had opened up a lot of connections between the people of Arendelle and their ruler. They loved their new queen and accepted her magic. The ability to forgive and understand was valued within the kingdom. Elsa could do beautiful things with her powers now that she had learned to control them. Now everyone was itching to meet her.

And even though Elsa was a different person now, that still scared her. She had been locked away for so long that she never got to know the people around her. Now it was all too overwhelming, and it was all too easy to tip her over the edge.

"I'm never letting you wear your hair up ever again." Anna spoke up once the crowd in front of them returned to socialising, leaving the sisters some time for themselves.

Elsa smiled her thanks as her fingers trailed over her braid. "Yeah, I kind of like my new look. A lot more... real. Does that make sense?"

"Of course!" Anna linked her arm with Elsa's, sighing contently as she looked out over the crowd. "It's a new beginning Elsa! Look at all these people, you're their queen! But not some snobby, regal, mean Queen, a nice and friendly and beautiful Queen!"

Elsa chuckled at her sister's enthusiasm, not able to take Anna's dreamy tone seriously. "Don't get all sappy on me, we've still got a ball to get through."

"How do you feel about Coronation Ball Part Two so far? Everyone looks pretty excited." Anna was right. The music was happier than last time, the atmosphere a lot more casual. More people were dancing, singing, engaging with each other. Hardly the picture of a royal ball, but that's what the sisters were hoping for. They were going to turn the Kingdom of Arendelle into a family again.

"It looks like it's going well, but I'm not going to jinx it."

"Oh come on," Anna droned, pulling at her sister. "Have a little confidence! It's not like you have any more unknown powers to showcase."

"Now you're going to jinx it!" Elsa pulled at Anna right back. "Just for that comment I'm going to get a power that destroys all the chocolate in the world."

Anna feigned a scream, hands grasping at her face in mock horror. "You wouldn't dare!"

The girls shared a laugh, before something clicked inside Anna's head that made her stop moving altogether. Elsa raised an eyebrow. "Anna?"

"Speaking of chocolate, there's chocolate cake. _And_ cheesecake."

"Oh no."

"I'll be right back.

"Wait, Anna -"

It was too late, Anna was already lost in the crowd on her mission to find the food table. She wasn't surprised really, and she couldn't blame Anna. But now Elsa was on the stage all by herself, looking very alone as she tried to figure out what to do next. Did she go and talk to people? Did she wait for them to talk to her? She wasn't good at this. Anna was the talker, not her! Which was odd, seeing as she was the queen and all. She'd been preparing to be the queen her entire life, yet she still had no idea how to act.

Elsa was about to panic when she saw a familiar figure at the skirts of the crowd. "Kristoff!" She called, grabbing his attention and beckoning him to come talk to her. Kristoff looked confused. Then he looked as if he was about to get in trouble as he timidly made his way up the stage. Elsa sighed inwardly. Of course he would look like that. She was just glad there was someone she knew (using that word loosely) around to keep her from having a nervous breakdown. She'd hardly had the time to bond with her sister's boyfriend, seeing as Anna was usually their medium for conversation.

It made her feel bad. Without this man Anna might have never found Elsa - she could have still been in her ice palace and she didn't even want to think about what could've happened to Anna, on a dangerous mountain all by her clumsy self. She owed this man her sister's life and she'd barely given him the recognition. Arendelle Ice Master hardly did him justice, she thought.

"Your Majesty." Kristoff mumbled, followed by a quick, inexperienced bow. She doubt he'd ever had to bow for someone in his life, and she wasn't about to make that a habit.

"Oh, Kristoff," Elsa sighed, but still reassuring him with a smile. "Please, call me Elsa. I don't ever want to see you bow for me ever again."

Kristoff grinned sheepishly, trying to run a hand through his hair, but getting stuck in the product Anna had put in it. That drew a laugh out of Elsa.

"I'm guessing Anna did that."

"Yeah..." He said, searching for something to wipe his hair-gel-covered hand on. He searched in his pants pocket and luckily found a handkerchief. "I've never had to dress this fancy in my life, so Anna helped."

Elsa nodded in understanding, eyeing him up and down. "Well, you look very sharp."

"Thanks. I mean, thank you." Kristoff coughed. Oh boy.

"I know we haven't talked much, and I'm sorry for that. The last month or so has been a mess of apology letters and trade agreements and it's just been so busy."

"Oh, no, your Majest- um, Elsa, it's really okay, you don't have to explain yourself-" Kristoff didn't seem to know what was going on, so instead of letting him ramble, she interrupted him and got to the point.

"What I mean to say is, I've never gotten the chance to thank you."

"Thank... thank me?" If Kristoff was confused before his expression was now one of bewilderment.

"Yes, thank you." This boy was totally oblivious to the fact that he had given up a lot to protect Anna in her quest to save Arendelle, and he didn't even expect a reward for actions - even confused at a mere 'thank you'. This was the kind of man she wanted Anna to be with. The kind of man who passed off his completely selfless acts as if they were nothing short of natural. "Without you, I wouldn't know what could've become of my sister, or the kingdom. I thank you as much as Anna for the way things are now." She gestured to the happy ballroom before them, and she finally saw Kristoff relax.

"I guess I need to thank you for letting me be a part of this." He sounded genuine - thankful. This boy probably had never had something given to him without having to give in return. "Your ball, your home, one of your stables for Sven - I just can't believe any of its real... So thank _you_, Elsa."

The two shared a look of understanding. Elsa made an unspoken promise to make this man feel so at home in this castle that he could've lived there since a mere boy. She would enjoy getting to know him.

"Well, now that that's out of the way." Elsa chuckled, clasping her hands behind her back. "How are you liking the party? Tell me honestly."

He returned her chuckle nervously. "Well, if you want honesty... I guess it's not really my thing. But it's something new. That's good enough for me."

"I can tell by the way you're standing that you've never worn a suit before." Elsa smiled as he suddenly became self conscious, pulling at his collar. He was rigid, stiff, as if he couldn't move right. That was something he'd get used to.

"I'm pretty sure everyone can." He replied glumly. "I look like I'm made of wood."

Elsa shrugged, making a sound of indifference. "Like you said, it's something new. You'll be wearing so many suits in the next couple of months it'll become second nature."

"Oh lucky me."

Another laugh, which cued another change in conversation.

"So, where'd Anna run off to?" He asked, scanning the crowd. "I'm gonna take a guess and say... cake."

Elsa nodded, amused. "You really do know my sister, Kristoff. I think we've found her perfect match." She found the sudden reddening of cheeks endearing as she too looked out amongst her sea of guests, trying to pinpoint Anna in the midst of it.

A clatter of silverware, a chorus of gasps, and she honed in on a spot near the food. A rush of red hair and she wouldn't be been surprised if it was Anna that caused the upset. She cast Kristoff a fleeting look before the two of them made their way down the stage stairs and through the party, people making fools of themselves as they rapidly moved out of the Queen's way.

Anna stood in the middle of a small circle, champagne all down the front of her dress - her mother's dress - with a broken glass in her hand. Not only that, but there was a large rip in the material of her skirt, jagged and messy and already fraying. Her mother's dress. One of the few things Elsa had to remember her by, and probably the most important.

She had let Anna wear it because she trusted her to take care of it, trusted her because it had been a month of new beginnings and she thought Anna had felt the same. But no. Anna was still reckless and never looked before she leaped and had ruined enough dresses in her life to not care about the only one that mattered. It wasn't just a dress. She had kept it in the back of her closet for years because she needed to keep it safe, safe like the way her parents had kept her. All the coldness in her life and she felt warm when she looked at that dress. She shared it with Anna because she made Elsa feel warm as well, why not put two and two together? They were the sisters they had always longed to be, it had seemed natural.

Now it was stained and in tatters and Elsa was so furious because she had _trusted _her. She never trusted anyone with anything, because if there were no expectations then there was no disappointments. Her hands formed into fists at her sides, fingernails piercing painfully into her palms, but she dare not let up because one slip and she could turn the ballroom into an icy prison.

Elsa remembered that was in the middle of her second Coronation Ball, and unless she wanted to let history repeat itself, she needed to get out of the public eye.

"Anna." Elsa's voice was low as it passed through a tight-lipped and very fake smile. "May I speak with you in the hall?"

Anna was already on the verge of tears as she handed a very concerned looking Kristoff the remainder of her broken glass, picked up her skirts (mindful of the tear) and followed her sister through the path the guests had cleared. Elsa closed the ballroom door behind them and settled as she heard the party chatter resumed.

Then Anna started talking a mile a minute. "Elsa, I'm sorry, I'm so so so sorry, I didn't - I didn't mean to - there was this Duke and he was taking up so much space and -"

She hated when Anna went off on tangent like this, so many details that didn't matter and so much repetition it drove her to insanity. There was always something, someone, that caused an accident and it was never just Anna and her own debarment, it could never be, she was just so innocent, bemusing, she didn't know what she was doing. And that's what got her a way with so many things.

"I don't care about how this happened, Anna!" Elsa yelled, voice loud enough to echo down the empty hallway. She felt a pull in her stomach and jagged icicles closed around the column closest to them in one blue burst. Her sister stopped talking immediately, and there was guilt in her eyes as she sank in on herself. Elsa had never yelled at her before, not in anger, not like this.

"Is it possible for you to not ruin something within two hours of touching it, Anna? Is that so much to ask of you? Is it too much for you to be a little more careful, more aware of your surroundings, before you wreck one of the only things Mama shared with me?" Elsa's eyes were flashing and her voice rose and fell with her frustration and she knew the things she was saying were mean but she was too angry.

"Elsa, I -" Anna choked through her tears, which flowed freely down her cheeks. Her lip was quivering and her shoulders were shaking, but Elsa had developed an indifference for tears seeing as she had cried them all out during her years in solitude.

"No, Anna. I don't want to listen to whatever you have to say. I never should have trusted you with this. I don't want you to come back to the ball." Elsa saw Anna's heart break right before her eyes. She hadn't been this angry in a long time. It felt so overwhelming feeling anything at all. It swallowed her whole, even though she didn't want it to, and she couldn't stop herself.

"Just go." Elsa muttered, shaking her head in regret. She didn't turn around to look at her sister as she closed the door to the ballroom. It'd probably remind her of her first Coronation Ball. Anna had done her fair share of yelling, and it looks like this time around it was Elsa. Funny that.

The ball looked just like she had left it. Casual banter and dancing and music. Thankfully, no one had noticed her return. She stood behind a column and composed herself, breathing deeply until the urge to freeze resided in her stomach and she could relax. The anger she felt towards her sister would subside eventually. But for now, she just needed to cool down.

She didn't feel like socialising, as if she did before, so on her way back to the stage she picked up a glass of wine and sunk into her throne, watching the festivities go on. She was tempted to down the whole glass in one go but that was hardly proper etiquette for a _queen_. Nothing remotely normal ever seemed to be proper etiquette for a queen.

Not that getting blind drunk to forget how angry she was at her little sister was proper in anyone's books, so instead she dramatically sighed in her exasperation and set her glass down on the arm of her throne, bringing her hands up to massage her temples. Rain, rain, go away.

She heard someone approaching her. She felt like it was Kai coming to introduce someone, and she was just about to tell him to get lost when she looked up and found Kristoff instead.

"Oh, it's just you." Elsa said, sounding relieved. But that relief was short-lived because now she was dealing with her sister's boyfriend, the same sister she just kicked out of the ballroom. He mustn't be happy. Well, that makes two.

"Look, I'm sorry Kristoff but Anna isn't coming back to the ball -"

"No, no - that's not why I'm here. Just... I just wanted to know if you were okay." He blurted out, an awkward presence falling over again, obviously not having much experience comforting others. Especially not the Queen of Arendelle. "I know Anna can be pretty clumsy sometimes. I don't blame you, really."

If there was anyone who understood how grating Anna could be on ones nerves, it would be Kristoff. She appreciated the gesture.

"I was just thinking to myself how at the last ball, Anna was doing all the yelling. And now it's me." She said glumly, picking up her glass and taking a small sip. She shouldn't of yelled at her. Anna had been yelled at enough in her life - parents, servants, tutors, all chastising her about the things she wasn't allowed to do, or all the things she was bad at, pushing her to be anyone but herself.

"But that's what sisters do." He reminded her, offering her a sympathetic smile. "Or at least that's what I heard they do. Fight and yell and bicker, right?"

"Right." Elsa didn't particularly feel like engaging in a conversation about the meaning of sisterhood when honestly, she didn't have a clue. Another sip of her wine before she looked up at Kristoff. "Have you ever yelled at her?"

"Oh, you have no idea." He chuckled. She really couldn't imagine. She didn't know much about her sister's relationship, but she knew that Kristoff was a gentle giant. "It always ends in tears, which isn't fun, but she doesn't hold grudges for too long. A lover, not a fighter, I guess."

That did sound a lot like Anna. "I didn't mean to lose my temper, but you give her the slightest bit of responsibility and it's like her initial reaction is to go skydiving with it." She slumped back in her throne, exhausted thinking about Anna. It only made her want to end the party faster. Her sister was probably in her room, buried under pillows and crying her eyes out.

"What I've learnt to do is give her a minimum five minute explanation as to why what I ask of her is so important." He joked, though Elsa felt there was a truth to that statement. He fell back into silence when he received no response, turning to look over the crowd once more.

Elsa realised that without Anna here, he didn't have anything to do. No one to speak to other than Elsa, and even she wasn't very good company.

"Why don't you go and check on her for me?" She told him, letting Kristoff out of his misery. He nodded and said his goodbyes before disappearing into the crowd. This whole ball had been a mess and it wasn't even halfway over.  
Elsa finally got the courage to leave her throne and spent the next two hours allowing people to introduce themselves to her. She met Dukes and Lords and people of the Council and she had no idea there were so many titles in the royal word. She started to believe some titles were made up just for people to fluff their ego, and she wouldn't be wrong.

People stopped by her throne to wish her well on their way out, and soon there was no one in the ballroom except herself and the staff rostered to clean. Elsa made a swift exit and headed straight to Anna's room.

It wasn't the night she had planned, that was obvious. Maybe there would forever be a curse against any type of ball the Arendelle sister's threw. Elsa was starting to come to terms with the fact that perfection took more than a month to achieve. As much as she wanted things to be okay between her and Anna, they were both going to have to work for it. Shared laughter and shared dresses won't be enough to fill thirteen years of silence and separation. If they wanted to be the sisters always wanted to be, that meant sacrifice. If that meant giving up a dress Elsa had barely touched in years, so be it. She remembered her mother in more ways than just a dress, and Elsa was sure her mother wouldn't mind if Anna was the last person who ever wore it.

Elsa loved her sister very much, but she hadn't done much to show her that. Things needed to change. Change used to scare Elsa - a lot of things used to scare Elsa - but it was a month of new beginnings, and for the first time in forever she wasn't afraid of the future, because now she finally had her little sister to share it with.

She raised her hand to knock on Anna's door, calling her name as pushed on the handle and made her way inside. All Elsa saw of Anna was a mess of red hair peeking out from under her bed covers, while Kristoff sat on the edge of the bed with a comforting hand on her back. Kristoff offered Elsa a shrug, patting Anna until she rose from under her sheets, face red and tearstained. She didn't look at Elsa.

"I might uh, leave you two for a bit. Go check on Sven or... something..." Kristoff lamely excused himself, casting Anna a reassuring glance. She made an effort to smile back, but as soon as he left she flopped back down on the bed, eliciting a strangled noise.

Elsa breathed out heavily. Either she was mad at Elsa and didn't want her to be here, or she was putting all the blame on herself. She sat on the edge of the bed, closest to where Anna faced away from her. "Hi." She said, keeping her voice soft and soothing. No more yelling.

No response. Anna didn't even move.

"Anna, c'mon. Please turn around." Elsa reached out her hand to lightly rest on Anna's shoulder. "Please?"

Anna rolled over and looked up at Elsa. "I ruin everything." Her voice was shaky and quiet, not something she was used to hearing. "Don't try take it back now because you're right. I ruin _everything._"

Elsa pushed Anna back enough until there was enough space for her to climb into bed next to her sister, resting her head on the pillow so they were looking into each other's eyes. "Have you ruined me?"

Anna looked confused.

"Have you ruined Kristoff?" Elsa continued, looking at her sister pointedly.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't care how many dresses you tear to bits Anna, because I love you more than any dress there is, or _anything_ there is. I love you more than all the things you've ruined, and I'm sorry I didn't figure that out before I said the things I did."

That made Anna smile, which made Elsa smile, and she brought her arms up around Anna to pull her into a hug. "If only Mama and Papa could see us now." She heard Anna mumbled into Elsa's cloak. Elsa held her tighter.

"Mama would've thought you looked beautiful tonight. She would be so proud, Anna." Chin resting atop her little sister's head, no one but Elsa knew of the tears that brimmed her eyes, the first tears since her little sister almost died on the icy fjord. She didn't want to let her go for fear of almost losing her again.

"So proud of me? More like proud of you, Elsa. Controlling your powers and everything, opening the gates, it's amazing." Anna scooted back to she could look at her sister, and they both smiled through their tears. "And I love you too."

Elsa pulled her in to hug her once more. So this is what sisterhood felt like.

"Do you wanna have a sleepover?" Elsa asked.

Anna was baffled. Never could she imagine those words leaving Elsa's mouth. "Really?" She asked, praying it wasn't a joke.

"Really."

Anna beamed in response, doing a little dance despite her awkward position. "Go get your pajamas!" She squealed, untangling herself from the covers and climbing over her sister. Elsa hadn't noticed until then, but Anna was still wearing her gown. Ripped and all. "I'll go get the choc -" She paused when she saw Elsa looking at her funnily, and then remembered her attire. "Oh no, I'm sorry, I'll go to changed, take it to the tailor -"

Elsa shook her head. Anna never wore her gowns more than she had to. Constricting corsets and itchy petticoats were the bane of her existence and she would throw them off her and across the room as soon as she had the chance. But even ripped and stained and the reason she got kicked out of Elsa's Coronation Ball, Anna still climbed into bed and kept it with her for the better part of two hours. If that wasn't enough to show Elsa that Anna did care about what that dress meant to her, she didn't know what was.

"You keep it on as long as you want."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry this took a while to update, I'm usually on point trying to update short fics like these every 2-3 days, but this one being a bit longer I thought I'd give myself more time. Gave this one a sweet, sappy ending, because there's been too much hurt for these poor girls! More Kristanna coming soon, I've got lots of fics planned and started for them, some steamy, some fluffy, which do you prefer ;)

What a better time to update this then to the news that Frozenwon two oscars! Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song! I will admit I teared a little bit, so much emotionnn

See you guys soon, leave me your thoughts! :)


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